BMW’s upcoming Neue Klasse model is set to enter production later this year, marking the beginning of a new generation of cars from the German automaker. Fans are eagerly anticipating details such as horsepower and 0-60 times. The new electric Vision Driving Experience BMW prototype, a high-performance testing tool, showcases the manufacturer’s ambition to maximize the computing power of the platform with the “Heart of Joy” central computer. According to BMW, this internally developed “superbrain” integrates control for drivetrain, braking, energy recovery, charging, and steering into a unit that processes information 10 times faster than previous systems. This will enable drivers to take corners with “remarkable precision,” requiring “less control input.”
Drivers will be able to maintain the vehicle’s line with “better precision and stability” while also having consistent and smooth cornering behavior, which, to us, sounds very much like taking the fun out of driving and cleaning up digitally. The imperfections of a car and the struggle against physical limits create the joy we feel behind the wheel. Instead, cars will start to feel the same if every little aspect of the driving experience is controlled with computer precision, as automakers pursue perfection, not personality.
The extra processing power of this new computer will allow BMW to produce more efficient electric vehicles. The company states that the computer enables the vehicle to use its energy sustainably, including during energy recovery. BMW claims that the regenerative braking system in the Vision Driving Experience test rig increases efficiency by up to 25 percent. Drivers will not need conventional brakes in most normal driving situations. BMW says it has no intention of turning the prototype into a production vehicle. It is a test rig for the Neue Klasse platform to push the boundaries of what is possible. The car has 13,269 pound-feet of torque, according to BMW, intended to test if its control system can handle that much instant power. If successful, the car is fit to hit the roads and become part of the upcoming Neue Klasse lineup, although we doubt the eye-catching and light-emitting wheels will be produced anytime soon.
